The Voice of Freedom
by Great White Snake
Summary: The 1960s were too dangerous for Tala, according to her father. Activists defending the rights of Natives and their opponents had gone too far. But Tala had to be educated in the magical arts somehow, and Hogwarts seemed like the best option. Leaving most of her freedom behind in the New World, Tala must learn to cope with the darkness and greyness that is England...
1. Chapter 1

**June, 1971**

The water droplets fell like they simply could not think of anything better to do. There was a laziness about them, as if they could barely be bothered to conform to the will of gravity. When Tala held her bare arm out of the terraced home window, the droplets that splattered on her outstretched fingers were made all the dryer by reading in front of the fireplace. They were large and cold, not like the soft droplets of rain from back home at all. Tala tilted her fingers upwards and watched the remnants of the drops run downwards like tiny rivers. On the sidewalk ahead the uneven slabs had a rainbow sheen - all that was left of a kids game of hopscotch. The outline was still there, a ghostly shadow of what it was before the heavy rains that pounded the city last night and continued on lightly this morning. Above the sky was dominated by tumbling greys, smoky and silver, but they soon the sky became dark and low with ominous black clouds and the wind picked up, howling like a wolf into the night. The first crack of lightening lit up the sky and within seconds the rolling boom of the thunder reverberated overhead. Soon the rain fell, splattering the sidewalks haphazardly and washing away the rest of the hopscotch games. Then it fell as if from buckets, pounding on the roof as if it were demanding entrance.

Tala sighed and got up from the window seat in the living room, stepping into the kitchen to retrieve a copper pot from one of its cupboards. She waited a few moments until the fire had completely died down, raindrops falling inside from the ill-conceived chimney, and placed the pot in the wet ashes to capture the rain. Tala retrieved a thick patterned blanket from the couch on her way back to the window seat, and continued reading after closing the window that looked out onto the lane.

While the sound of rain, broken by the rumble of thunder, was a soothing sound, Tala much preferred to be back in South Dakota. Even after five years, the golden plains and clear blue sky still called to her - the cold and damp streets of England never to replace them. Tala wanted to stare up at the large expanse of blue. Unlike the city she was in, that was penned in by snow-capped mountains and grey buildings, there you could see blue in every direction to the horizon, the sky even melded with the ground where thousands of blue flax flowers. All that punctuated the dichromatic scheme was the odd lonely tree, the long strands of cloud being dragged across the sky by the wind and the green grass and golden wheat. Tala wanted to hear the thundering of hooves split the silence again, as her horse galloped through the landscape. She missed the way the wind whipped her hair into the air like thick smoke, her dark hazel eyes fixated on the horizon. She longed to run free through the flax flowers again, ride a horse on a golden plain, or even just see a field of green for once. Tala was tired of reading, and as she watched her father return from work at the Ministry of Magic, all she could think of was how tired she was of seeing him come home every day, smelling like rain instead of pine and cedar.

"How was your day, my wanáȟča?" Kohana asked, smiling at his daughter.

"It was okay," Tala sighed. "Got some more reading in. I'm almost finished the last book you got me."

"Then we'll have to get you more then. Speaking of which, a very wet owl gave this as I walked down the yard. We'll have to go buy some things for you."

Tala jumped out of her seat, nearly face-planting after tripping over the blanket she was covered in. If there was one thing that was keeping her alive, it was the notion that eventually she would be getting her letter from Hogwarts, and that she could occupy herself with magical theory rather than watching English kids running down the sidewalk. Tala snatched the letter from her father and her hazel eyes scanned it immediately. She didn't waste time in ripping the envelope open to read the list of provisions and equipment, skipping the neat green cursive of the introduction letter from the deputy headmaster, Minerva McGonagall.

Tala sat back in the sofa and let the happiness soak right into her bones. From here on out, she wanted the feeling to still be there when she was old. She closed her eyes and savoured the moment, but never released her grip on the seemingly inconsequential piece of paper and ink in his hands. For the first time in forever her body and mind relaxed. Tala was in, she'd made it.

"Até, can we go now? Can we go get all my things now?"

"In this downpour?" Kohana chuckled, staring at his wide hazel eyes of his daughter.

"I don't care! We have umbrellas, and maybe the rain will let by the time we've reached our destination!" Tala argued.

"All right, all right. Go get your coat."

Tala cheered and jumped off the sofa, running upstairs to her room. She swung open her closet door and pulled out her old cowhide jacket that was still a few sizes too big. Moments later, Kohana and Tala had Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron in London and weaved their way through the drunk masses and the thick smoke above their heads to the back alley, where they came face to face with a wall. Kohana took out his wand and tapped a few random bricks making them twist and shift out of the way and form an opening onto the cobblestone Diagon Alley. The rain had indeed let up in the short amount of time that it had taken to get to Diagon Alley. A dim light shone on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons – All Sizes – Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver – Self-Stirring – Collapsible said a sign hanging over them. Tala wished she had more eyes to look at everything. She turned her head in every direction as she and her father walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, 'Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad...' A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium – Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy. Several boys of about Tala's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Tala had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills and rolls of parchment, potion bottles and globes of the moon.

"I think we should start by going to Gringotts," Kohana stated, watching her daughter's expression of wonder.

"Gringotts? That is the wizard bank, correct?" Tala inquired, her eyes roaming over a shop called Flourish and Blotts.

"You actually listen when I speak? Surprising."

Tala rolled her eyes and followed her father to a very crooked building with a white marble facade. The first floor tilted to the left, the second to the right, but the interior was as straight as a bullet, with Goblins handling piles upon piles of gold and silver. Kohana pulled his daughter towards one of the Goblins, the counter as all as he was, and cleared his throat to gain his attention. The Goblin disinterestedly looked at the man.

"I've come to access by vault," he said, sliding a golden key onto the counter. "Name of Kohana Našá."

"Very well."

The Goblin at the counter called for another who was holding a large lantern. He handed him the key and they all walked to a dark corridor where the lantern was used as a headlight for what looked like a rickety mining cart. Everyone got in and the cart jolting forward, going down a twisting and turning metal track. Tala watched her surroundings, noticing a giant waterfall off to one side and glowing lanterns above large cast iron doors. Eventually they stopped at a vault labelled 523, which the Goblin unlocked, permitting Kohana and Tala to step inside their vault. It was filled with a respectable amount of golden galleons, silver sickles and bronze knuts. Kohana filled a pouch and they exited, returning to the bustling cobblestone street. Excited, Tala checked her list.

"First on the list is my uniform... It is so plain - do you think they will let me do some embroidery on the edges?"

"I don't know, you'll have to ask one of your teachers for that. Let's head to Madam Malkin's and get you fitted."

The two made their way to their first destination and got Tala fitted for some robes. She was poked by a few needles because she couldn't stand still, but in the end she exited the store with the first part of her list complete. Kohana then lead his daughter to Flourish and Blotts where she bought all her textbooks, but also a few books that she could read on the side such as Hairy Snout, Human Heart. It took a lot to drag the girl out of the bookstore, but the promise of a pet owl was a kick out the door. Eeylops Owl Emporium was the next stop, and the girl's eyes couldn't get any brighter at the sight of all the birds, for the owl was an incredibly wise and intuitive animal, guiding you through the veil of deception.

"Choose wisely, Tala," Kohana warned. "These animals aren't to be fooled with. We both know what the owl totem means."

"Wisdom and intuition, as well as death. I know, Até."

The girl's hazel eyes immediately landed on a Great Horned Owl, its piercing yellow eyes staring right back at her own. She approached it and held her finger out. The bird stared at it curiously for a moment then gently nipped it, climbing onto her arm seconds after. The shopkeeper smiled and gave the father and daughter all the supplies to take care of it, but Tala refused to get a cage for it, stating that the bird must be able to constantly roam free. She named it Dakotah, after her mother, and then the two Lakota continued their shopping with Ollivanders.

Kohana remained outside with Dakotah, saying that the wand-choosing 'ceremony' was best done alone. Tala gave her father a skeptical look and shrugged, heading inside to find a man with greying black hair and bright blue eyes. He smiled at her.

"Well, hello there. What's your name?" he said in a soft voice.

"Tala Našá," the girl replied confidently.

"From America, I see. Let's determine whether our good British wands suit you, eh?"

They tried wand after wand, but nothing was truly working. Tala ended up making a few jars explode, some books fly off shelves, even made something in the back of the store whistle a constant high-pitched noise.

"I do own a few American-made wands sent to me by a dear friend... perhaps I could part with one."

"Oh, no, I could not possibly!"

"Hush now, it would be of more use to you than it is to me, sitting in its box at the very back of my shop," Ollivander said, heading towards the furthest part of his establishment and picking out a box from the very bottom shelf. "It is made of Snakewood, with a Thunderbird tail-feather core. Give it a wave, will you?"

Tala observed the patterned wood wand for a moment before picking it up, but even before waving it she felt a rush of warmth go through her body and a light wind tousled her dark hair. She blinked a few times, looking directly at the wand, then up at Ollivander who was smiling softly.

"I told you it would be of better use in your hands."

"Why didn't any other wand work? Is it because I am not from here?"

"The wand chooses the wizard, Tala. It is hard to say why this particular wand chose you, but Snakewood is usually good for healing as well as defensive magic."

"And the Thunderbird tail-feather?"

"Very temperamental, not easy to master. It is good at Transfiguration and and offensive spells."

"So it is an all around good wand? Fascinating." Tala reached into her jacket and pulled out her pouch of money. "How much do I owe you, Mr. Ollivander?"

"Oh, please, if I had made it myself there would have been a price tag on it, but since it was given to me, I couldn't possibly charge you for it."

"Wait, so, you are giving me a wand? For free?"

"I suppose I am."

Tala grinned and thanked the shopkeeper before stuffing her wand into her boot and waltzing out the shop, announcing to her father that she'd gotten a free American wand in a British shop. Kohana doubted her for a moment, but upon seeing the marbled Snakewood wand, he marveled at it, commenting the rarity of Snakewood wands.

The rest of the equipment was easy to find and quick to purchase until they got to the apothecary to stock up on basic potion ingredients. There was an infinite amount of different potion ingredients, all labelled and waiting to be weighted behind the counter of the shop. Kohana thought it best to deal with this himself, and let Tala wander the shop with Dakotah on her shoulder. The girl stared at jars filled with grotesque creatures and objects, which enlarged or shrunk depending on the angle you looked at them. She heard a bell, signaling that someone else had entered the shop. Tala heard a few words in a foreign language then some shuffling, which ended up being a boy her age being shoved out of the way by what looked like to be his mother. Immediately, the woman began demanding service despite Kohana already being there. Tala pulled a face at the woman behind her back. The boy nearby chuckled. She turned to the boy, who was definitely Asian, his dark hooded eyes and straight black hair giving it away.

"Should you be laughing? That is your mother, no?" Tala asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Sorry, I just don't get to see many people go against her in any way," the boy said softly, looking to the ground. "If they do it's usually my brothers and they get hit with a wooden spoon."

"Pardon? A wooden spoon?"

"Yeah, Chinese mothers, you know?"

"No, I do not know. I am Lakota."

"It's better that way, trust me. Wait, Lakota? You're American?" He looked at the supplies she was carrying. "But you're going to Hogwarts?"

"Yes. I moved here five years ago from the United States," Tala explained. She extended her empty hand, which shook Dakotah a little. "Tala Našá."

"Noah Xiang," the boy replied, finally looking up at Tala and shaking her hand. "I moved here when I was two. Directly from Beijing."

"Are you going to Hogwarts as well?"

"Yeah, it's my first year too."

"Then I hope we'll spend some time together."

A pink tinge rose to Noah's cheeks as he looked at Tala, who was beaming at him, eyes closed and dimples showing. He wondered for a moment what it would be like to live in her head for a while, mind swimming with happy and confident thoughts like her smile. She wasn't like her family, strict and condescending, Tala was a burning fire, wild and free. He found himself smiling too. Maybe she'd make a pretty good friend for his parents to hate...


	2. Chapter 2

**September 1, 1971**

Dakotah shrieked as she flew across King's Cross Station, through the engines' smoke and the smoke coming from the pipes of business men. Kohana had left on a train not too long ago to get to work, instead of his usual Apparition, and left Tala with the instructions to get onto the Platform for the Hogwarts Express. However, Tala was going to be late if she didn't shake off the security guard trying to catch Dakotah. Apparently loose owls in a train station was a violation of certain codes the girl wasn't aware of nor cared about. A wild laugh made it's way to everyone's ears as Tala ran across the uneven tiles, pushing her trolley ahead of her, it's left front wheel creaking as it went. And when she and Dakotah crossed the barrier, running straight through the wall between the muggle platforms nine and ten, the girl let out a satisfied sigh and slowed to a jog.

In striking contrast to Britain's National Rail system, the Hogwarts Express took the form of a large red, steam engine. Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. Tala reached into her pocket and gave Dakotah a small treat before whispering something to her, then she extended her arm and the owl flew off out of the train station, directly on her way to Hogwarts. Tala smiled, satisfied, then turned to the man who was loading trunks underneath the train, and slid him her own, keeping a few items with her for the journey. She smiled at him before running off towards the entrance to the locomotive. The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. A boy with bright red hair was surrounded by a small crowd. The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg. Tala chuckled and pressed on through the crowd until she found an empty compartment

near the end of the train. She sat down next to the window and pulled out her cloak from her messenger bag, as well as half a dozen spools of wool in various colours. With the reply to the acceptance letter, Tala had asked if she was allowed to do some embroidery on the edges. She would start with tracing and the colour white, as the person who responded to her told her to not use colour until she was sorted. Then she'd be able to use the colours which represented her house.

A whistle sounded and the train began to move. Tala could hear the last of the compartment doors slide and slam shut, but hers slid open. She lifted her white chalk pencil and looked up towards the door. The soft features and shy attitude of Noah Xiang caught her attention and the girl smiled.

"Hello, Noah!" she beamed.

The boy looked up from the ground, as if seeing her for the first time, dark eyes wide in near panic. He stood in the doorway for short while until someone outside bumped into him and he stumbled inside. Noah smiled sheepishly at Tala and slid the compartment door shut, taking a seat in front of Tala.

"Hey Tala," Noah said softly.

"It seems we will be spending more time together."

"I guess we will, yeah."

"Have you read any of the books we got for school?" Noah nodded, and Tala's eyes brightened. "What are you most excited for? Personally, I cannot wait for potions! My father and the Medicine Man of our village used to teach me."

"They did?"

"Yes. Although, I was taught the American way, so I do not know if it will be the same."

"I'm looking forward to Transfiguration. It's probably the hardest branch of magic, and I need to prove to my parents that Hogwarts is just as good as Mahoukotoro."

"Mahoukotoro?"

"The Japanese wizard school. That's where my brothers went. Well, except for Jim. He's in his fifth year at Hogwart, now, but he started at Mahoukotoro."

While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick pass or Tala's beginnings of embroidery. Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door.

"Anything off the cart, dears?" she said.

The kids got a bit of everything, deciding it was the best opportunity to eat all the sweets they wanted. Surely they didn't serve this kind of stuff at meal times. Noah and Tala spent another few hours goggling down pumpkin pasties, little cakes, chocolate frogs and even some every flavour beans, which really were every flavour - Tala had bitten into the corner of an earwax flavoured bean.

The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills. Someone's cat was hissing outside the compartment, and Tala looked at it just in time to see a young boy run after it, disappearing down the hall.

"Have you got a pet?" Tala asked.

"I do. Siamese called Yue. She's roaming the train. You?"

"My owl, Dakotah. Say, I haven't asked yet - what house do you think you'll be in?"

"Hopefully Ravenclaw." Noah sighed, suddenly gloomy. "It's the only house my mother will accept me being in. I don't think Gryffindor would be too bad though. You?"

"I don't mind, honestly. I think Ravenclaw would be a good fit, though."

"Really? You seem more like the Gryffindor type." Noah commented, tilting his head.

"But the colours and the symbolism of Ravenclaw speak to me, you know? The blue and the bronze, the sky and eagle feathers? Doesn't that just scream 'free spirit', to you?" Tala smiled. "I miss the freedom I had back in America, and here in Britain, I am unique."

"I agree, that does sound a lot like a Ravenclaw."

An announcement rang across the train, signaling their arrival in less than a half hour. Tala and Noah looked outside. It was getting dark. They could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. Tala finished her row of white stitching, staring at it proudly, then put away all her thread an needles back into her bag. It wasn't long after that the train began to slow down and another announcement told the old and new students to leave all their luggage in the train, for it would be brought to their dormitories for them. Noah and Tala swung on their cloaks as the train came to a full stop. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Tala shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students.

"First years! First years over here!" said a rather large old man. "C'mon, follow me - any more first years? Mind your step, now! First years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, all the first year students followed the man who'd later introduced himself as Ogg, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds, down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Tala thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much, but there was a collective sound of amazement when they finally saw Hogwarts castle. The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more than four to a boat!" Ogg called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Noah and Tala were followed into their boat by two students who'd introduced themselves as Remus Lupin and Mary MacDonald. "Everyone in? Right then - FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. As they reached the cliff, the students all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door which was knocked three times by Ogg.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Tala's first thought was that this was not someone to cross in the slightest. She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of Tala's house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. They followed Professor McGonagall, as Ogg had called her, across the flagstone floor. Tala could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right, but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously. Though the Lakota was rather excited.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on a boy's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Noah's untamed hair.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber.

"How exactly do they sort us?" Tala asked, looking over to Noah. "Is it some sort of test?"

"I don't think so. My brother said it involved some kind of song, though."

McGonagall soon returned and demanded the students form a line. Tala stood behind Noah and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. Tala's grin widened, if that was even possible, as she could have never imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Noah looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He nudged Tala and she looked up as well.

Though she quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

 _Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

 _But don't judge on what you see,_

 _I'll eat myself if you can find_

 _A smarter hat than me._

 _You can keep your bowlers black,_

 _Your top hats sleek and tall,_

 _For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

 _And I can cap them all._

 _There's nothing hidden in your head_

 _The Sorting Hat can't see,_

 _So try me on and I will tell you_

 _Where you ought to be._

 _You might belong in Gryffindor,_

 _Where dwell the brave at heart,_

 _Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

 _Set Gryffindors apart;_

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

 _Where they are just and loyal,_

 _Those patient Hufflepuffis are true_

 _And unafraid of toil;_

 _Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

 _if you've a ready mind,_

 _Where those of wit and learning,_

 _Will always find their kind;_

 _Or perhaps in Slytherin_

 _You'll make your real friends,_

 _Those cunning folk use any means_

 _To achieve their ends._

 _So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

 _And don't get in a flap!_

 _You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

 _For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Aubrey, Bertram!"

A pink-faced boy with blond hair stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over his eyes, and sat down. There was a moments pause, where the hat and the boy whispered to each other, and the it shouted 'Hufflepuff' in a loud voice. The table on the right cheered and clapped as Bertram went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Black, Sirius!"

Tala didn't quite understand why everyone was whispering this boy's name as he strut up to the stool and put on the hat. He had striking grey eyes and lustrous black hair, and a confident smirk on his face, which only grew when the Sorting Hat shouted 'Gryffindor', much to the outrage of Slytherin and shock of everyone else. Nevertheless, Gryffindor House welcomed him warmly. Tala made a note to ask Noah about his later.

"Bones, Amelia!"

Once again, the hat shouted 'Hufflepuff', and Amelia scuttled off to sit next to Bertram.

"Boot, David!"

'Ravenclaw', the hat called. The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with David as he joined them. 'Brocklehurst, Olivia' went to Ravenclaw too, but 'Brown, Kelly' became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers. 'Bulstrode, Alfia' then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Tala's imagination, after all she'd heard about Slytherin, but she thought they looked like an unpleasant lot. Another Hufflepuff was sorted, but this one took a little longer than the others. That last one had sad a full minute on the stool before he was sorted. The was another handful of students before a name she recognised was called.

"Lupin, Remus!"

The timid boy stepped up to the stool and sat down. He was taller than every one Tala had seen so far, and far more shabby than anyone else as well. Maybe it had something to do with the few scars that littered his face. The hat declared him a Gryffindor, and the look of relief that washed over his face made Tala smile. The Gryffindor table greeted him warmly and he took a seat beside Sirius Black. A few moments later, and after a few more names, Tala's heart skipped a beat.

"Našá, Tala!"

Tala practically skipped up to the stool, earning a few odd looks from those remaining to sort. Noah only smiled. The girl sat down and pulled the hat over her head - it fell down just above her eyes. She felt the hat jerk to life, and a rough whisper made its way to her ears.

"American, I see. How unusual... You crave freedom, I see, adventure and knowledge... then I know just where to put you."


	3. Chapter 3

"Ravenclaw!"

There was something so intoxicating about an excited child. They bounced, they pounced, they squealed and they ran. As their grins got wider everyone about them started to smile - even the grumps who loved to complain. That's how Tala currently was - bouncy and grinning from ear to ear as she confidently waltzed over to the cheering Ravenclaw table, as if she was bursting with liquid sunshine from within. There were many pats on the back and handshakes when Tala sat down beside the last Ravenclaw to be sorted, and her smile didn't dim a single bit for the rest of the sorting. She watched as many Gryffindor and Hufflepuff get sorted, a few Sytherin, one in particular that piqued her interest because of the twitchy way he walked, and another few Ravenclaw. Her smile only intensified when Noah walked up to the stool, nearly tripping, and joined her at the Ravenclaw table. She clapped and cheered loudly with all the other Ravenclaw students, smiling brightly at Noah when he sat across from her. At last, with all the children gone, Tala could see the Head Table. At the end nearest her sat Ogg, who caught her eye and nodded respectfully at her. Tala grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. The girl recognized him at once from the chocolate frog cards she'd unwrapped in the train. Dumbledore's silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts.

Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. Tala looked down at her empty gold plate and her stomach growled. She had only just realized how hungry she was. The pumpkin pasties and other sweets seemed ages ago. Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. Teaching is only demonstrating what is possible. Learning is making it possible for yourself. Enjoy!È

Tala smiled as he sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. All of a sudden, the dishes in front of the Ravenclaws were now piled with food. She had never seen so many things to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs. Tala and Noah looked up at each other, wide eyed and smiling, and took a bit of everything. Though Noah left out the peppermint humbugs. Before digging in however, Tala closed her eyes and whispered something over her food, a small thanks to the animals that had given their lives to sustain her.

"So, it's Tala Našá, right?" a Ravenclaw over to her left said. He had shoulder-length white hair the texture of candy floss and seemed slighly cross-eyed. "That's an unusual name."

"I am Lakota. From America. That is why," Tala said after swallowing a big bite of lamb. "And you are?"

"America! Uh, no, I'm Xenophilius Lovegood! America, really? Did you see many Hodags and Snallygasters!?"

He stood up with his plate and squeezed himself between a girl and Noah.

"Hodags are everywhere, and MACUSA keeps covering up appearances on Muggle farms," Tala said exasperated. "As for Snallygasters, well, they still make the Muggle newspapers. Something of an American Loch Ness, they are. Though I have seen many Wampus cats!"

"Woah, those are super dangerous though!" David Boot chimed in.

"The Lakota, Cherokee and the Navajo have great relations with them. We use their fur in making wands or potions and they're quite good at Legilimency. In return, when they are spotted in our villages, we do not report sightings to MACUSA. If we did then they'd have to be contained." Tala looked over at Noah, who was quietly shrinking behind everyone else. "Any fascinating magical creatures from your area, Noah?"

"Uh, well, you can't really see them, but there are lots of Demiguise. And we used to live by the water, so there are tons of Kappa. There was also an Occamy in our attic for the longest time," Noah said, more enthusiastic than he'd anticipated.

"Occamy? Those are so rare!"

The talk of magical beasts went well on into the feast, and by the time they had reached the topic of Lethifolds and Maticore, supper was over and Tala saw the dessert appear in front of her. She helped herself to some treacle tart as the conversation swayed to their heritage.

"I am a Half-Blood. My mother was a No-Maj - a muggle - and my father is a wizard," Tala said, mouth full.

"I'm a Pureblood," Noah said. "My mother isn't a big fan of muggles. I'm more like my dad though - he likes muggles."

"Half-Blood, myself," Xenophilius said. "Or Pureblood. I'm not quite sure, actually..."

Then the conversation was interrupted by Dumbledore, who announced that there was no magic allowed in the hallways unless it was for studying, the Dark Forest was forbidden unless the students wanted to die and that Quidditch trials were to be held next week. Tala was disappointed when Xenophilius told her first years weren't allowed on the Quidditch team. Then the Ravenclaw Prefect, Chester Davies, demanded that all Ravenclaw rise from their seats and follow him to their new Common Room. The Ravenclaw and the Gryffindor followed each other most of the way, out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase, which allowed Tala and Noah to converse with Remus and Mary, the two students they'd shared a boat with earlier. Then they split off into opposite directions, climbed more staircases, all the while staring at talking and moving portraits of witches and wizards. Then they climbed a set of spiral stairs, and at the end of it was a big oak door with a decent sized Eagle-shaped knocker. Davies took the knocker and banged twice, which made the Eagle's beak move with spoken words.

"I am the black child of a white father, a wingless bird, flying even to the clouds of heaven. I give birth to tears of mourning in pupils that meet me, even though there is no cause for grief, and at once on my birth I am dissolved into air. What am I?"

Tala frowned for moment as Davies turned to everyone and asked them to answer. This was always going to be the way to enter the common room, and while quite amusing, Tala found it impractical if she ever needed to rush in and out. She'd have to double check all her things before leaving the Common Room.

"Smoke?" Noah said tentatively.

"Of course," the knocker said, and then the door swung open.

Tala's haze eyes opened wide at the sight of the Ravenclaw Common Room. It was a wide, circular room, airier than any the girl had seen so far at Hogwarts, even more so than the Great Hall. Graceful arched windows punctuated the walls, which were hung with blue and bronze silks: by day, the Ravenclaws would have a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. The ceiling was domed and painted with stars, which were echoed in the midnight-blue carpet. There were tables, chairs and bookcases, and in a niche opposite the door stood a tall statue of white marble. Davies directed the boys and girls to a door beside the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw which lead up to their dormitories. Another spiral staircase led them up to the dormitories that weren't separated by gender, but there was a small lavatory off their rooms that they could take turns using. Tala and Noah were lucky to be in the same room - Tala had a feeling someone knew of their friendship - alongside twins named Tulip and Violet, as well as a boy named Nathan.

Tala's things had already been placed inside their room, beside a beautiful white four-poster bed adorned with sheets and draperies of different shades of blue. Dakotah was perched atop her bed, hooting softly to indicate her presence. Tala held out her arm, and her companion flew to her, eager to receive the treat that was in the girl's hand. Dakotah returned to her perch as soon as she had her food, which let Tala unpack her clothes and stuff them into a small wardrobe at the end of her bed. She pulled out a few pictures of herself and her father, as well as her old home, and placed them on her nightstand. All her embroidery equipment remained in her bag which she put underneath her bed with the near-empty trunk.

The excitement of today soon turned into sleepiness, and the soft sounds of Dakotah hooting were putting her to sleep. She pulled out her pyjamas and headed to the bathroom to slip them on and brush her teeth before she climbed into her comfy bed. She said good night to Noah and the others through the draperies she'd closed, and soon they all fell into a deep comfortable sleep, smiles on their faces.

The next morning at the Ravenclaw table, as Tala and Noah ate their porridge and blueberries, they learned from Xenophilius that there were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. Tala chuckled at all the unusual information being given to her, but it seemed to worry Noah more than anything, who was terrified of getting lost.

"Do not worry, I have an impeccable sense of direction," Tala reassured.

The two friends noticed, as they headed to Charms, their first class, that the people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Noah was sure the coats of armor could walk and talk. He found that the ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were on your way to class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, "GOT YOUR CONK!" Tala found him rather annoying, but she and Noah got a tip from a friendly Gryffindor by the name of Lily Evans, that if you told him that the Bloody Baron was on his way, he'd fly in the opposite direction.

Speaking of Lily Evans, she and the two friends were all heading for Charms that morning, in a classroom on the third floor. The center was cleared and the desks were lined against the walls, facing each other. At the end of the class was a desk with dozens of piles of books surrounding it. Standing on one of those piles was the new Ravenclaw Head of House, Professor Filius Flitwick. He was very short, probably because there was some Goblin ancestry in his family, and he wore a sharp black suit, with glasses hanging at the tip of his nose. Tala sat beside a boy she'd recognised as Sirius Black, who was avidly talking to a boy with unkempt black hair. Noah sat beside her and took out his books and wand immediately, eager to start his first lessons.

"Welcome, welcome - Ravenclaws and Gryffindors!" the professor squeaked. "Welcome to Charms where you will learn everything from Levitation to the Knockback Jinx in your first year."

"Can't wait to use those for pranking purposes," Tala heard the two boys whisper.

"You do realise that using spells in the hallways is forbidden right?" she commented, eyes still fixed on the teacher.

"Not if you don't get caught," the boy with crazy hair said.

Tala contemplated this for a moment then turned to him, looking at the boy suspiciously. She looked him up and down, then rested her eyes on his own.

"Fair enough."


	4. Chapter 4

Charms and and Transfiguration went by quickly. They'd begun studying the theory for the Levitation Charm and Wand Lighting Spell, both looking quite simple to the pair of Ravenclaws, Noah and Tala. Their Head of House was a splendid little man, favouring his own students only a little, and being quite fair to the Gryffindor. Except maybe for the two boys who were seated next to the duo, Sirius and the boy with wild black hair. Tala had to dodge a paper ball once or twice as they'd toss it at each other when Flitwick wasn't looking, but when Noah got it on the side of the head, Tala chucked the ball of paper at the small teacher and blamed it on the boys. Unfortunately, after Transfiguration and all the theory on the Runic Alphabet and the Transformation Formula, Tala still had History of Magic to go to, and Noah wasn't in the same class as she was.

The girl observed the old stone walls as she made her way to the Classroom 4F on the first floor, where her lessons were to held. She weaved through the crowds of students, careful not to bump into anyone, but nearly fell flat on her face when the same duo of boys barrelled through the crowd and threw themselves inside Classroom 4F. Tala let out an audible groan - if she had any more classes with these two, she'd jump off the Astronomy Tower. Upon entering the classroom, Tala noticed the tightness of it, as it only contained enough desk space for eight students. The walls were lined with bookshelves full of excessively dusty books, a large globe took up quite a bit of room beside the empty teacher's desk and the black board was blank, but horrible dusty. Tala sneezed, and a puff of dust swirled before her.

The two boys had taken a seat at the back, feet up on the desks. Tala rolled her eyes and spied the other students that were there, and she spotted Remus, the Gryffindor boy, just in front of the two others. She went up to him.

"Is this seat taken?" Tala said with a charming smile, standing beside the empty seat.

"Why would it be taken?" Remus replied, genuinely confused.

"Well, maybe you are saving it for someone...?"

"Oh! No, no I'm not - go right ahead."

Tala chuckled and seated herself beside Remus, taking out her books and quill. Students kept filing in, way beyond the number eight, which led to students sitting cross-legged between rows of desks, others standing at the back of the class. Tala figured this was why there was more than one History of Magic class. It took a while for the teacher to arrive, but when he did his arrival was met with a gasp of surprise as he came through the blackboard and sat at his desk. In a dreary voice, he introduced himself as Cuthbert Binns, and briefly described the subject. It seemed that, because of his death, he no longer needed to take breaths or pauses, and said everything in a continuous and confusing flow of sentences. It didn't help that he also fell asleep during those bursts of information and woke up talking about something completely different, as if he'd been continuing his speech while he was asleep.

"I guess I'll have to do this class on my own then," Remus whispered beside Tala.

"I think I might join you on that," she said, glancing at the boy. "There is no way that I will sit through this and drool on my desk like Abbott and Costello, back there."

"Abbott and Costello?"

"American muggle comedy duo from the forties."

"Ah, so you are American," Remus said in realisation. "Your accent was confusing me."

"Perhaps it is because I am Lakota that my speech confuses you."

"So why is it that you're at Hogwarts and not Ilvermorny? That is the American school, right?"

"Yes, it is." Tala sighed. "I do not know if you have heard, but my oyáte - my people - have been mistreated for generations in the New World. A few years ago, tensions began to rise and there were protests and riots near my village. My father wanted me to be safe, so we moved to Cambridge so that I could still be educated in the mystical arts he'd learned at Ilvermorny. While I am safe and being educated, I still left my thípi - my home - behind..."

"Well that sucks," Tala heard from behind. She turned and spotted Sirius and the other boy - they were looking right at her. "Did your parents never tell you it is rude to eavesdrop?"

"Hey, anything is more interesting that this ghost dude," the boy with crazy hair said.

"Besides, all my parents taught me was how to hate muggles," Sirius said with a shrug.

"Is this why everyone was so surprised that you were sorted into Gryffindor?" Tala asked. "Were you expected to be in Slytherin?"

Both boys blinked stupidly at her.

"Do you really not know?" the boy said.

"I am American. English families and their histories are unknown to me."

"He's a Black, part of one of the most important wizarding families in England."

"Don't look so impressed," Sirius said. "The whole lot has been in Slytherin, they hate muggles and are prejudiced as hell on Blood Status."

"Well, I do not see anything inherently wrong with Slytherin... but I guess you have a different point of view considering your experience." Tala paused and extended her hand. "Tala. Tala Našá."

"Sirius Black," the boy said with a chuckle, taking her hand.

"James Potter," the other said, stealing Tala's hand from Sirius. "Don't let his good looks fool you, let mine instead."

"Mercy Lewis, what are you on, Potter?" Tala said, shaking her head in exasperation. "This is Remus, by the way."

"Remus Lupin," the scarred boy said with a little wave.

"Well, Remus Lupin, Tala Našá - let's get the hell outta here!" James said enthusiastically, packing his things.

"What do you think you are doing?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Leaving. We can go find a place to study ourselves - or we can just goof off."

"Both of those are against school rules," Remus stated, looking at Tala for backup.

"Someone once told me that rules get in the way of accomplishing goals or people's creativity," Tala said.

"Who?"

"Me. Count us in - let's go."

The dusty classroom of Cuthbert Binns seemed so far away as the four children dashed out onto the grounds of Hogwarts, and sat underneath a large Beech tree by the lake. Initially they studied, reading the chapter the teacher had been reciting in class and asking each other questions, but then in devolved into a game of twenty questions - a game that British children weren't aware existed. Tala found out Sirius', James' and Remus' middle names - Orion, Henry and John, respectively - as well as a lot of their favourite things to do, the things they hated most, and even the fact that James had already fallen in love with the girl Lily Evans.

"Hey, you still haven't told us your middle name!" James said in mock outrage, pointing Tala.

"Technically, I do not really have a middle name," the girl said, plucking a wide blade of grass from the ground. She placed it between her thumbs and blew on it, making some sort of kazoo sound. "My people, or at least in my village, we didn't have last names or middle names. We lived on a reservation with our own health facilities and our own law - which meant that our names were not of much importance. Each of us is given three names though."

"What're yours?" Sirius asked.

"At birth I was given the name Tala, which means wolf, specifically the wolf born under the blustery winds of March," the girl replied.

"You're born in March? What day?" Remus asked.

"The ninth."

"Huh, I was born on the tenth."

"Then you are a wolf as well."

Remus smiled lightly and went back to his book.

"I was given the second name of Našá - the owl - because of my ability to see through deceit at a young age. And lastly, Waŋblí - the eagle - which I was given most recently, because of my unique desire for freedom."

"So you're full name is Tala Našá Waŋblí?" Sirius said, saying quite perfectly.

"Yes."

"Well that's complicated," James announced. "Hey, hey, can you say something in Lakota!?"

"Like what?"

"Anything!"

"Uh, let me see... Oh! Niyé waŋ tĥáŋka wačhíŋtĥuŋ šni kablóbo!"

"The hell the does that mean?"

"You're a big fat stupid potato."

"OI!"


	5. Chapter 5

Noah got along surprisingly well with Remus, Sirius and James considering he preferred to be alone rather than in a group, but he spent most of his time reading with Remus, so it was all the same in the end. The two boys would often sit back and watch the other three goof off or practise jinxes and charms on each other for class. It would often be Sirius and James hexing each other, or sending Tala flying in the air with the Levitation Charm, but either way they never sat still. Sometimes Sirius would take a few brooms from the stores on the training grounds while Professor Hooch wasn't there and they'd practise their riding, although Sirius and James were mostly just teaching Tala how to fly properly - she caught on quite quickly.

At the moment, Tala was gathering her books for her first class, which she piled onto her bed, and Noah was trying to get his hair to cooperate in the bathroom. So far he'd used spells and this gel that their roommate Nathan had tossed at him before leaving for his own class, but nothing was working to date. Tala put all her basic potion ingredients into her small pewter cauldron before stuffing it down her father's old canvas backpack, with her quills and wand on top. She sighed and playfully rolled her eyes at Noah who was still fiddling with his hair, nearly a handful of pomade on his fingertips, and walked over to him to take it all off and arrange his hair for him.

"Come on we are going to be late."

"R-Right."

Tala shook her head and smiled, then swung her bag onto her back and grabbed her books. Noah gathered his own things and followed the girl out of the Common Room. They walked down the spiral staircases and down to the main hall, where they made their way to the Viaduct Entrance and then the access to the dungeons. The duo went down a long, poorly lit spiral staircase that still made Tala anxious even though she'd been going down it for almost two months now, and they came upon the equally gloomy dungeon hall. After a few steps and to their left was the entrance to the potions room. The room was brighter than the rest of the dungeons, something for which Tala was grateful, and the soft dripping of water could be heard if the class was completely silent. Tala and Noah immediately saw the very large Horace Slughorn at the front of the class, and they took their usual spot behind Lily Evans and Severus Snape. Moments later, the bell rang.

"Good morning, everyone!" Slughorn said jovially.

"Good morning, Professor Slughorn," the class replied in various degrees of enthusiasm.

"Well that won't do! Try again."

"Good morning, Professor Slughorn!" everyone repeated more joyfully, though most faces. including Tala's and Noah's, expressed annoyance.

"Much better, much better!"

Tala raised an eyebrow as she stared at the man's mustache. It seemed more alive than usual, this morning.

"Our last class we reviewed the boring technicalities of the Herbicide Potion, but today we will be needing our wands, cauldrons and some of the Standard Ingredient for our brewing, so take those out of your bags, please. We will be making the Herbicide potion today. Can anyone remind me the ingredients?"

Tala lazily rose her hand, head held in the other. Noah rose his hand high up, desperate to prove his intelligence. Lily rose her hand, and for a moment seemed to be telling Severus to do the same, but he never did. And a few other students rose their hands.

"Yes, miss Evans?"

"Flobberworm mucus, Horklump juice, Lionfish spines and Standard Ingredient, sir," Lily said.

"Correct! Five points to Gryffindor," Slughorn smiled. "Now the potion is brewed in two parts, so go to page 26 of your books and begin! The stores are open and available to you - but no wasting! Share if you have too much."

As usual, Tala gathered the ingredients for both herself and Noah, while he brought out their books and opened them to page 26 of Magical Drafts and Potions. Tala put eight Lionfish spines into the mortar and crushed them into a rough powder while Noah added a few measures of Liquid Potion Starter to both their cauldrons. She stared at the extra Lionfish spines she had taken (why she'd taken a handful without thinking was beyond her, or maybe it had to do with the fact someone smelled like wet dog over by the stores) then up ahead. Tala poked Severus' back with the end of her wand, and he turned to her rather sharply.

"I have some extra Lionfish spines. I noticed you have not gotten yours yet," the girl said simply.

Severus nodded silently in thanks and took the remainder of the Lionfish spines to share between himself and Lily. Tala smiled kindly and lowered her gaze back to her book for the next step. Noah was already crushing Standard Ingredient in the same mortar, turning it into a rough powder and the spines into a fine one. Tala then added three measures of the powder in each of their cauldrons once the Liquid was bubbling. The powder melted into the clear liquid, turning it a strange shade of moss green, and then the two waved their wands over their cauldron in the correct manner before leaving their potion to brew until it was a forest green.

Tala and Noah spent the next ten minutes cleaning their station and the remaining brewing time reading ahead in the textbook or simply talking. Slughorn wandered around the desks, looking into cauldrons and pulling faces at things that were incorrect or simply backing away from things near to blow up like the potion of a certain Hufflepuff that exploded nearly every class. When he wandered over to Lily's and Severus' cauldrons, he made no face, and he did the same for Tala and Noah's, which either meant it was good or horrible. It was really a fifty-fifty shot, although if Tala's potion was the same colour as Severus' usually it was good. Tala glanced at the Slytherin's cauldron and the same shade of moss green that was in her cauldron was in his. A small smirk rose to the Lakota's lips - her father and the Medicine man had taught her well.

"All right, resume your brewing!" Slughorn called to the class.

Noah passed the Horklump juice to Tala after he'd taken some, and she added two measures of it to her cauldron. It was supposed to turn a deep shade of brown, but it didn't seem dark enough to Tala, so she added more until it was the correct shade. She noted in her textbook to add another half measure. Then Tala turned up the heat and simmered the concoction for ten seconds before reducing the heat and adding two blobs of Flobberworm mucus. She glanced over at Noah who'd gotten some mucus on his hands and was trying to fling it off without success - Slughorn had to pass by and remove it with a charm.

"I hate that man," Noah said, glaring at the back of Slughorn's head.

"Why? Because he wipes Flobberworm mucus off your hands every class?"

"No, just look at him. He's fawning over all the more famous students. People like us - he pays us no mind."

"I do have to agree with you on that one," Tala said, frowning as he beamed at a boy named Evan Rosier. "Did you know he even has a club?"

Noah rolled his eyes and stirred his potion four times, clockwise, as did Tala. Slughorn was the Head of Slytherin House, and although he didn't favour his own students over the other Houses, there were students which he preferred over any other because of either their preexisting fame, rich and noteworthy parents or a rare talent in any Hogwarts subject he deemed worthy. Tala had heard a few Ravenclaw speak of him and a club he'd presumably created, the Slug Club, where students 5th year and above would be invited to lavish dinners and praised for whatever reason. Noah and Tala figured it was just something to boost his own ego, or something of the sort.

Tala waved her wand over the potion one last time before ladling some of the contents into a few crystal phials and placed them in the small phial holder that was provided for examination. Once again, Tala peeked at Severus' potion. Their colours matched. The girl smiled happily.

"All right, everyone! It seems that you've all managed to brew a potion of Acceptable quality or higher, except for you mister Jones - I don't know why your brews keep combusting, I'm afraid. Leave the displayed phials to me, and I will grade them alongside half a parchment on the Herbicide potion that you will hand in next week."

The bell rang and most students filed out of the classroom. Noah had another class to go to, so Tala refused to let him help clean up and did it herself so he wouldn't be late - because he'd likely get lost again, although they'd been going to class for two months now. Tala cleaned up the mortal and pestle, as well as both cauldrons which she placed in her bag. The work table was spotless in under ten minutes, and the girl swung her bag over her bag, grabbed her book and exited the classroom as well. She tried to stuff her wand down her robes as she walked down the gloomy corridor, but of course, looking down at you robes wasn't a very useful way to look where you were going. It took only a few seconds for the person she crashed leaned forward enough for all the things they were holding to crash to the ground. Books spread everywhere, as did rolls of parchment and a few quills.

"I am terribly sorry!" Tala gasped, stuffing her wand in whatever pocket she did and launching herself to the ground to pick up what she'd knocked. She stacked a heavy pile of books and stood, facing the person she'd bumped into. "Here, I am sorry. I was not looking where I was going."

"Oh, it's you," Severus said in a slightly condescending tone, though anger seemed to disappear from his face as he saw Tala. He bent over and picked up the rest of his things, stuffing them in his bag.

"What is with that tone? I said I was sorry and I got your books," Tala said in a critical tone. "I could have left them there and then you'd be at least five minutes late to your next class."

"You talk too much. This conversation will make me late."

Severus pulled his books away from Tala and stormed off. She stared at the back of his head, indignant. Tala roughly exhaled through her nose and stormed back up to Severus, following him to his class.

"You know, I thought you were okay," she stated. "But maybe you are just an arrogant prick."

"And maybe you're just a dumb Yankee," Severus said sharply. Tala gasped. "Struck a nerve, did I?"

"It is statistically impossible for my nerves to be struck by you, Snape."

"You have no way of proving that."

"You have no way of disproving that."

"You're just mad because you know I'm right."

"About what? The fact that this conversation is making you late? Then yes, you are right."

"You're mad."

"Indeed I am. And you are a grumpy old man."

"I'm 11."

"Not in your soul you are not. Wait, do you even have one?"

"FINE! Tala, you win! My class is there and I no further interest in arguing with you today."

"Good. We'll pick this up in Herbology tomorrow, then," Tala finished with a smile, then turned away.

"What the... NO! I said I didn't want to argue anymore!" Snape shouted, standing in front of the doorway to his class.

"You said you did not want to argue today, therefore we shall continue tomorrow," the girl said, turning to face him. She continued in a deep mocking voice, "You have an engagement Mr. Snape, do not be late... Like you are now!"

Severus wheeled around at an incredible speed and his eyes went wide: the door was closing.

"SHI-"


	6. Chapter 6

Tala learned the hard way that rude awakenings were truly a thing not only reserved for movies and books. It seemed that Tulip and Violet didn't get along much if they spent too much time together, and mornings where Violet woke up earlier than usual were the occasions where Tala was woken up to the sounds of arguing girls trying to share a bathroom. This morning, as she turned to her side to look into the bathroom, Tala was even graced with the spectacle of hair pulling and angry jumping and stomping, which oddly reminded her of the Sandhill Crane's mating dance she'd seen back in America.

Tala only rose from her bed once the girls were heading out, the sounds of bickering disappearing behind the closed door. She groaned and sat up, stretching herself before shutting herself up in the bathroom for a quick shower and to change into her uniform. By the time she'd exited the bathroom, Noah and their roommate Nathan had already changed into their own uniforms, with Nathan ruffling up Noah's hair much to his displeasure.

"Doesn't it look better all messed up, Nash?"

Tala looked up from her tie and to Noah's straight messy hair. She narrowed her eyes at the boy, contemplating.

"It does suit you."

"See? There you go. Now I can save money on hair gel."

"But, Nathan-"

Noah's pleas went unanswered as he simply shrugged and walked out the door. He groaned and hung his head back, and Tala laughed. Noah glared at her.

"This isn't funny. My hair is a rat's nest and it needs to be tamed," he said.

"You know, I think that is the longest sentence you have ever spoken," Tala chuckled, making Noah roll his eyes and walk out the door as well.

Tala grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder, following Noah out into the stairwell and down to the Great Hall for breakfast. If there was one thing that Tala appreciated about the Ravenclaw selection of food was that, unlike the other tables, it comprised itself of dishes from all ethnicities at the table. Noah helped himself to a small bowl filled with steamed soup buns while Tala opted for succotash and fry bread, which tasted quite near the ones her father made. Whoever made the food deserved a pat on the back. Tala's eyes went from Noah's face full of food to a familiar twitchy walk when it crossed her field of vision. Snape had walked into the Great Hall, and the girl couldn't help but smirk. Herbology was their next class, and she'd hold him to what she said the day before. Though, Tala frowned when the boy's head snapped towards the Gryffindor table. She couldn't see anything that merited that look, so Tala thought nothing of it and flicked a lima bean at Noah's forehead.

Herbology class was located outside, in the humidity of the greenhouses caused by the already bright sun. Tala looked up at it, both thankful and confused. Was Hogwarts always this sunny? But then again, at least it wasn't raining, and a glimmer of her old home shone through. Severus was already sat on a stool at the back of the class, and Tala made her way towards him not at all hiding the smirk growing on her face. The look of annoyance that broke on Severus' face only made her smirk grow.

"Oh, dear God..."

"I am flattered that you would to refer to me as God, however I do not believe in such fictional characters," Tala said, taking the seat beside the boy. "Tala will do just fine."

Severus heaved a sigh and took out his equipment for the class just as Madam Pomfrey arrived. Tala took out her own and with a wave of Madam Pomfrey's wand empty clay pots found themselves in front of all the students, at least three each. Today they were going to begin the planting and caring of plants they'd be able to use throughout their years at Hogwarts in their potions classes. For now, it was Aconite, Dittany, Nettles and Asphodel, as Madam Pomfrey explained, and she went on to describe different types of soil for at least twenty minutes, during which Tala took notes in her textbook, scrawled in her native language. Severus glanced at it curiously, then frowned.

"What is this gibberish?" he whispered.

"Margin notes, can't you tell?" Tala said sarcastically.

"Idiot, I mean what's this weird language?"

"Oh, it's Lakota."

"Lakota?"

"Yes. I am not simply American, Severus. Can't you tell by the colour of my skin?" the girl asked, pointing to her cinnamon coloured skin. "I am no... white, privileged... swine."

"White, privileged swine?" Severus questioned, looking at her oddly. "You realise you're calling your people swine, right?"

"The white man of the New World has never been "my people", Severus. Even here the fate of my people is ignored, I see."

Tala chuckled dryly and dipped her quill in ink then jotted something down in Magical Herbs and Fungi. Severus kept his eyes on the girl, watching her eyebrows crease and her quill smoothly glide on the pages of her textbook. She looked back up at Madam Pomfrey and listened to her talk on and on about the amount of sunlight the plants needed to get, and then she finished up with potting methods and left the students to their own devices. Tala grabbed her dragonhide gloves and grabbed a giant bag of potting soil and a smelly container of dragon dung for fertiliser. She recoiled when the scent hit her nostrils.

"And I thought horses smelled horrible..."

"Tell me, " Severus said all of a sudden.

"Tell you what?" Tala asked, making a mix of the soil and dung.

She passed the soil bag and dung container to Severus.

"The fate of your people."

"Why?" the girl scoffed. "So that you can pretend to care? I will pass, thank you."

"So what if I don't care? Isn't it enough to be curious?" Severus reasoned, nearly gagging when he too opened the dung contained.

"I suppose. But how do you not know? Aren't the revolts on the news? Do you not learn about American history in Muggle school?"

"I uh, never really went to school much... at all."

"Why not? Were you home schooled?" Tala asked, dumping her soil mix into four clay pots.

"Something like that. My mother taught me what I needed to know. It didn't include America," Severus admitted.

"Well, let me give you a brief recap of the past... four hundred years or so?"

"You talk too much, are you sure you're going to have the time?"

"I won't if you keep your lips flapping, Mr. Snape."

Severus rolled his eyes and grabbed a few bags of seeds. He tossed half at Tala.

"Christopher Columbus was credited with the discovery of the New World. I will not start with Vikings because that could take me ages," Tala chuckled, shaking her head as if chastising herself. "Anyway, Christopher Columbus was the catalyst for numerous expeditions to the Americas and soon numerous conquests were going down. Most of the Americas fell to conquistadors - Spanish soldiers. Florida fell to Ponce de León, the Aztecs were nearly eradicated by Cortés. Then the English came in and conquered the Carolinas and New England, and then the French took the rest. Including my people.

"Then wars happened, Christianity was forced onto my people, a lot of Natives died. You would have thought that once America was free from Europe that we'd be treated better, right? Not really. The Christianity was reinforced, we were secluded onto reservations which, even today, barely have running water. And now we are finally fighting back. Two years ago Natives took Alcatraz, protests happen in big cities, there are riots... That is why I moved here."

"It wasn't safe?" Severus asked, almost sadly.

"Not at all. If the police were so much as looked at wrong by an Indian they could be arrested - brutalised even. My father didn't want me to be stuck in the middle of it, so we moved here. We would have gone to South America, but neither of us speaks Spanish. And I needed to learn... all this," Tala added, waving her arms at her surroundings.

"What about your mother?"

Tala paused for a second, then continued sprinkling seeds in her clay pots. She sighed.

"Never knew her."

Severus looked at her suddenly. She shrugged.

"Died in childbirth. The reservation healthcare facilities are... mediocre at best. There were complications. It was either her or me." Tala gently placed soil over the seeds and watered them. "My mother decided I should live. That's why I have this." Tala took off a glove and moved a lock of her hair, revealing a short beige feather. "'Blessed is this child for she was granted breath from Okaga.'"

"Okaga?" Severus said, frowning.

"Fertility spirit of the South Winds. Elders said that because since my mother gave her life for me, Okaga took her last breath and gave it to me."

"Oh..."

"Oh?" Tala laughed. "How very eloquent of you, Severus."

"You're laughing?"

"Of course, I am. I am disappointed I will never get to met her, but I cannot be sad or mourn for someone that I never knew. Do not worry. It takes more than this to offend me or sadden me. I am built tough!"

Severus rolled his eyes, but Tala noticed the smallest of grins on his face.

"Can I ask you something?" Severus questioned.

"Since when do you feel the need to ask for permission? I am not your superior officer. Unless you wish to refer to me as your-"

"Shut up, you dunderhead!"

"Oh, that is a new one!" Tala chuckled. "Go on."

"You call me, Severus... why?"

Tala snorted in a very unladylike fashion.

"Because its your name, stupid."

"Doesn't stop your friends from calling me names..." he muttered.

"What - Noah? Severus, the boy barely speaks at all, let alone to you," Tala chuckled, walking over to the sink to wash her hands. "He can't be calling you names."

"Who's Noah?"

"The Asian kid with the crazy hair."

"Oh, that's his name?"

"Severus! Not the point, you twat."

"Those idiot Gryffindors!" Severus said angrily, making Tala raising an eyebrow at him. She'd seen him irritated before, and she'd been the cause of it yesterday, but the anger in his voice was unmistakable this time. "Strutting around the castle like they own the place. Snivellus, this. Snivellus, that."

"James and Sirius? I mean, they are arrogant pricks, but I doubt they'd stoop to the bully level."

"Of course, you don't believe me. You wouldn't do anything about it, either. Like that Lupin who just sits and pretends like nothing is happening," Severus continued to mumble.

"Wait, Lupin too? Are you sure you are not just... hallucinating?" Tala mocked a gasp. "Have you gotten into LSD, Severus?"

"I'm serious, you twit! They've had it in for the second I met them on the train!"

"Fine," Tala sighed. "I'll talk to them. But you're capable of standing up for yourself, you know."

"I prefer the avoid and ignore tactic, personally," the boy grumbled.

"Yeah, that works too."

Tala sighed and frowned, then turned to Severus. She held him by the shoulder and gently turned him around. Tala noted he was shorter than her.

"If after I talk to them, this keeps happening... tell me?" she said, concerned.

"Don't tell me you're caring. I'll live, I just like complaining," Severus sighed, brushing her off.

She groaned and rolled her eyes, turning him back towards her again.

"Severus. You'll tell me, right?"

"All right, all right. Don't get your knickers in a twist."

Tala sighed and nodded, satisfied, then let Severus go. She watched him wash his hands and his equipment. Her eyebrows furrowed. James and Sirius were idiots and complete prats, she had to admit. But they were kind to her and to Remus and Noah. It was hard for her to believe that Severus had any issues with them, but then again Sirius did seem to take issue with Slytherin in general, and she couldn't simply ignore what Severus had told her. He didn't seem like the kind of person to admit to that sort of thing easily. Tala pinched the bridge of her nose. They hadn't even completed a year at Hogwarts and already shit hitting the fan.

"Fantastic..."


End file.
